Wanted: 5700mw Received: 100mw

TNNFeb 24, 2007, 05.05am IST

MUMBAI: Maha Vitaran's plan to buy power from other states to tide over the existing crisis is unlikely to take off as it has received a firm commitment for just about 100 mw, a paltry figure as compared to the deficit of 5,700 mw. The state utility, which had invited bids from other states for buying power during the summer, is currently struggling to bridge the demand-supply gap.

"Only Haryana responded with a firm a commitment of 100 mw. For the rest, we will have to do spot-buying," a Maha Vitaran official said. "The fact that no region is power-surplus is the major reason behind their inability to make an offer."

This, however, doesn't mean that Maha Vitaran won't be able to secure any additional supply. "Now, the option is spot-buying. Every evening, we will have to tap various grids and regions to check who has surplus power," another official explained. A few states like Sikkim and Kerala may have more power to feed Maharashtra.

But unmindful of the ground realities, chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Friday went on to claim that the "situation would improve in a couple of days". Admitting that the power situation in Maharashtra was "grim", Mr Deshmukh said the state would get around 2,000 mw additional power by December.

"Both urban and rural areas face a power shortage of around 5,500 mw, and the state government is making sincere efforts to tide over the crisis," the chief minister said. At a high-level meeting convened in Delhi on Thursday, Dabhol project was taken up for discussion, Mr Deshmukh said.

"I am confident that all issues will be resolved in the next 15 days and we would get the full 2,100 mw from the project. The government is also taking steps to ensure at least 10-hour power supply in rural areas," he said. Currently, Maharashtra villages are facing load-shedding ranging from 12-14 hours a day.

"We have made a budgetary provision of Rs 1,200 crore to buy additional power and are buying it at the rate of around Rs 9 per unit from Andhra Pradesh," the chief minister said further. He, however, admitted that the state "due to some reasons in the past 10 years" didn't give due attention to the power supply. "We have to accept that," he added.